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The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The building where 15 residents were staying. Picture: The City of Ekurhuleni Fire Department
At least 15 people have been rescued after a fire broke out at a building previously used for business purposes in Ekurhuleni.
The City of Ekurhuleni Fire Department said that they received a call about a fire at the building located at 253 Ndhlovu Street, Ngema Section in Katlehong, just before 9pm on Wednesday.
Fire
The fire department said it successfully contained the fire that engulfed a former shop building now housing approximately 15 individuals.
“The swift response prevented the blaze from spreading to adjacent structures. The call was received at 20h59. Upon arrival, crews from Zonkeziwe Fire Station found the building ‘well alight’.
ALSO READ: One dead in a shack fire at informal settlement in Ekurhuleni
“Due to the intensity of the fire, reinforcements were requested from Brakpan, Germiston, and Alberton fire stations,” it said.
Rescue
The fire department said all 15 residents of the building were safely evacuated and have been relocated to a temporary shelter arranged by the local ward councillor.
“There are no immediate reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
Shack fires
The fire incident comes less than a day after a man believed to be in his thirties died in a shack fire in Ekurhuleni
It is understood that the man was found and declared dead after a multiple-shack fire at the Makausi informal settlement near Primrose, City of Ekurhuleni, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) William Ntladi said they received the call just before 1am at the Primrose fire station.
“On arrival, several shacks were already on fire, threatening the rest of the others in the proximity. Offensively, flames were extinguished using water from the fire engines, preventing them from spreading across the settlement. A total of eight shacks were burnt down, and in that inferno, a partially burnt body of an adult male was discovered in one of the shacks.”
This is the third fire in Ekurhuleni. On Sunday, a 22-year-old man and a little baby died in a shack fire at Arla Park Extension 3 in Nigel at about 3am.
ALSO READ: Man dies after fire guts shack in Palm Ridge in Ekurhuleni
